Apparatus and method for construction of baskets



Dec. 9, 1943. R. L. SCANLAN- APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTION OFBASKET IN VENTOR. leupulms 6mm Filed Aug. 3, 1940 Patented Dec. 9, 1941UNHTED STT APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTION OF BASKETS Claims.

My invention relates to basket making machinery and method.

In the manufacture of baskets, slats or strips of thin wood or othersuitable material are first assembled and secured together to form afiat mat. In this mat the slats are disposed transversely of each other,some extending longitudinally and others extending laterally, and in theusual form of mats the longitudinal and lateral slats are interwoven.

The flat mat is constructed into a rectangularly shaped basket bybending two longitudinal edge portions at right angles to the remainderof the mat to form the bottom and two longitudinal side walls of thebasket, and by bending and over-lapping the ends of the mat at rightangles to both the bottom and side walls of the basket to form theend'walls of the basket. The bent and over-lapped ends of the mat arethen stapled or nailed together in the conformed position to secure themat in the conformed shape of the basket. Relatively narrow edge stripsare customarily secured to the longitudinal edges of the flat mat andupon the bending and over-lapping of the ends of the mat to form the endwalls, the edge strips are over-lapped and stapled or nailed togetherand some of the slats are bent under, or secured by staples or nails to,the over-lapped edge strips which thus adds strength and rigidity to theconstruction of the basket.

The most satisfactory manner of properly securing the slats and edgestrips together in overlapped relationship upon the forming of thebasket in the described manner is by stapling. In stapling, staples aredriven through the layers of thin wood in over-lapped relationship andthe inner ends of the staples after being driven through the wood areclinched or turned over by the resistance and inclined surface of aclinch-block or anvil against which the ends of the staples are driven.Unless the clinch-block is properly positioned at the correct anglerelative to the staples driven through the wood the staples will not beproperly clinched or turned over. The plane of the clinch-block shouldbe substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of thestaple. The clinch-block in addition must be relatively rigid to assurestability under the impact of the staple driven thereagainst. Unless theclinch-block is thus properly located in position at all times and isfirmly secured in rigid position the staples will not always strike theslightly inclined surface of the clinch-block at the proper angle andwill not be properly clinched or turned over closely against the woodthrough which the staple has been forming and stapling of mats in theshape of a basket.

Another object of my invention is the provision of apparatus assuringthe proper clinching of staples driven into a basket.

Another object is the provision for forming the basket, the carrying ofthe formed basket into I stapling position and the stapling, includingthe clinching of the staples, of the formed basket at saidstaplingposition.

Another object is the provision of basket forming apparatus of improvedconstruction.

Another object is the provision for forming the basket on, a form-block,moving the formblock and basket formed thereon to a stapler andclinch-block and stapling the formed basket on the form-block with thestapler and clinch-block.

Another object is the provision of apparatus having a stapler andclinch-block permanently mounted at one fixed position, a device forforming a basket and carrying means for'carrying the device and formedbasket to the staplerrand clinch-block for securing of the staples inthe basket.

Another object is the provision for stapling a.

basket formed 'on, and carried by, a form-block against a rigidclinch-block fixed permanently in position relative to the stapler.

Another object is the provision of apparatus for forming a basket andholding the basket in formed position during stapling of the basket.

Another object is the provision of an improved method of basket making.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of my invention may be had byreferring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunctionWith the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a side elevational View of my improved machine in a firstoperating position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure l and illustrates themachine in a second operating position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figures 1 and 2 and illustratesthe machine in a third operating position;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the form-block and associated conformingmember incorporated in my machine and shows details of construction; and

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the form-blockincorporated in my machine taken through the line 55 of Figure 4.

The description of the invention is made in conjunction with the severalviews of the accompanying drawing illustrating one form of theembodiment of the invention.

A standard I2 is mounted in upright position on the floor II and astapling machine or stapler of which the lower portion is showngenerally by the reference character [3. is mounted upon the standardl2. A metal clinch-block or anvil I4 is carried by, and extendsoutwardly from, the stand l2 directly below, and at a small distancefrom, the stapler l3. The outer corners of the extended end of theclinch-block M are chamfered or rounded, as at l5. The clinch- ]:glockI4 is disposed on a horizontal plane in respect to the verticallydisposed stapler l3 thereby assuring that the clinch-block is at a rightangle to the staple ejected and driven by the stapler. The surfaces ofthe clinch-block against which the staples are driven are slightlyinclined in order to start the staples to turn over and clinch, as isgenerally done in stapling machines. The clinch-block being permanentlymounted in juxtaposition to the stapler is rigid and stable andtherefore always meets the staples driven thereon in the same manner andinsures uniform clinching of the staples.

A frame comprising the horizontal rocker arm [6, the upright arm [8 andthe upright arm is positioned in front of, and at an operating distancefrom, the stapler. The rocker arm I6 is journalled upon a bearingsupport I! which in turn in anchored to the floor II. By means of thepivot provided at the bearing support I! the whole frame may be swungthereon toward and away from the stapler. In Figure 1 the frame is shownas swung away from the stapler and in Figure 3 the frame is shown asswung toward the stapler. The coil spring 43 between the standard 12.and arm 18 resiliently urges the frame toward the standard I2 and helps.counterbalance the weight of the frame and parts carried thereby wheninclined or tilted back away 1 from the stapler as in Figure 1.

A fonm-block 21 is mounted to the upper end of the arm l8 by the swivelconnection [9 in such manner that the form-block may be freely rotatedon the. connection 19 to reverse the position of the ends of theform-block. The formblock 21 has exterior surfaces on five sidesconforming to the shape of the basket to be formed, the back of theform-block conforming to the bottom of the basket, the two longitudinalsides of the form-block conforming to the side walls of the basket andthe end portions of the formblock conforming to the end walls of thebasket. The form-block is preferably made of wood but may be \made ofany other suitable material.

In each opposite end portion of the form-block 21 there is a partcut-away to form recesses 28 in the ends of the form block, As shown inFigures 4 and 5 the recesses are positioned in corners of the form-blockto extend in from both the end and the front wall of the form-block. InFigure 4, the basket formed around the formbl' three sides of theform-block.

skin. is indicated. by the dot-dash. lines on.

A plate 29, preferably made of steel, is secured to each of the oppositeends of the formblock by screws 31 in such manner as to extend acrossand over the recesses 28. The plate 29 is cut away at the regions of thepoint of stapling and as the basket is stapled at three points upon eachend of the basket, in the particular example illustrated in the drawing,the plate is cut away to form the two cut-out portions 30 and theintermediate cut-out portion 3|.

Two finger portions 32 are formed by the removal of the cut-out portions30 and 3| and these two, finger portions 32 project outwardly a shortdistance from the form-block 21. The outer extreme end of each fingerportion 32 is bent upwardly to form the back-stops 34. A U-shapedholding member 35 is hingedly connected to the ends of the two fingers32 by means of the hinges 33 in the manner illustrated in Figures 4; and5.. A spring 36 between the holding member 35 and a back-stop 34 re.-silient y r es. t hol n membe o th pht po ition inst e kt Shown inFigure.

By anual siez he e of the o in member 35. and swinging it down towardthe formq k 2. wood lats. or st s positioned on top. of the end of; theform-block Z] are firmly clamped between the holding member 35 andform-block 21:. The disposition ofthe parts is such that the holdingmember may be lowered in. clamping position and at the same time thewood slats or strips over. the open cut-out portions 30 and 3| areunobstructed: and staples may be. driven into the. wood at those points,open space in the. U-shaped holding member 35v substantially co-incideswith the opening of the cut-out portion 3| and the stapling of the woodi may. be. done through the open space in the holdthe. rocker arm [6 bymeans of the hinge 42' in such manner thatthe arm 20 may swing on thehinge 42. toward. and away from the arm l8 and,

form-block carried thereon. A toggle mechanism. 46; connects the. arm2.0:to .the arm I8: at a distance from the. rocker arm Hi to control themovement. of the amn. 20 relative tothev arm [8. The spring. 45; betweenthe. toggle mechanism 46 and rocker arm I6. resiliently urges, thetoggle mechanism into the. extended. position. shown, in

; Figure. 1, that is, slightly. down below dead center and thus inlocked. condition. A, fixed upright;

member 48. extends upfront the, floor ll; and is so positioned as to.contact the toggle mecha:

nism upon the swinging of. the. entire frame, on.

necting the arm 20 to arm [8- resiliently urges.

the arm ZD toward the arm l8 upon the tripping or unlocking of thetoggle mechanism. As the spring.4 4' is stronger than. the spring 45 thearm 2(lwillbe moved towardthe arm IB', as in Figure 3, upon the trippingor.unlQ0k g of the toggle me hanee;

ima ne .21 seemieerm. Z-la Qe Qrmr ing member 22 is mounted by means ofthe swivel connection 2|, the conforming member 22 being carried on thearm 20. The conforming member 22 has side wings, comprising angular wingportions 23 and 25, hingedly connected to its longitudinal edges bymeans of the hinge connections 24. The wing portions 23 and 25 are at afixed right angle to each other to provide that upon the backwardswinging of the wing portions 25 toward the conforming member the outerwing portions 23 are swung in toward each other and to thus clamp anobject therebetween.

In the construction of the basket in the embodiment here illustrated amat is made in the fiat by assembling a plurality of longitudinal woodveneer slats 39 and lateral veneer slats 40, interwoven or securedtogether in transverse position. Edge strips 4| of narrow pieces ofveneer are secured to the longitudinal edges of the assembled mat,preferably on both front and rear faces of the mat. The parts of the matare usually secured in assembled position by stapling while disposed ona fiat rack slid under a stapling machine. The mat in flat form is thenready to be conformed and secured into the shape of a basket.

An operator standing in front of the machine facing the stapler places afiat mat intermediate of the form-block 2'1 and conforming member 22While the machine is in the open position shown in Figure 1. The handsof the operator push the mat against the form-block 21 and bend the edgeportions of the mat in against the longitudinal sides of the form-block27 whereby the mat is longitudinally bent into the form illustrated inFigure 1. In this stage of the forming of the basket the bottom and twoside walls of the basket are formed but the ends of the basket are open,the ends of the mat extending straight up and down.

In pushing the mat against the form-block 21 and bending the sides ofthe mat in toward the sides of the form-block, the operators handsembrace the form-block therebetween and push or press the form-blocktoward the stapler. This forward movement of the form-block tilts thesupporting frame upon the pivot bearing l1 sufficiently to cause themember 48 to trip or unlock the toggle mechanism 45. Upon the trippingor unlocking of the toggle mechanism 46 the spring 44 pulls the arm 20and conforming member 22 toward the arm 18 and form-block 21. Theconforming member 22 is thus pressed tightly against the form-block 21with the basket mat therebetween. The inner wing portions 25 of thehinged wing members are forced back against the conforming member 22 andcause the outer wing portions 23 to swing in tightly against thelongitudinal side of the basket conformed to the side of the form-block2'1 and thus clamp the basket tightly to the form-block and hold it inproper form. Figure 2 illustrates this stage of the operation with thebasket mat partially conformed and clamped between the formblock 21 andconforming member 22. Small springs not shown tend to keep the wingmembers in spread-out or spaced position except when forced together inclamping action by the movement of the conforming member toward theform-block.

The end walls of the basket are next formed, one end being formed at atime. The upper end of the basket is first formed. The ends of thelongitudinal slats 39 which are disposed along the sides of the basketare bent in toward each othera'nd over-lapped down upon the upper end ofthe form-block. The ends of the longitudinal slats 39 which are disposedalong the bottom of the basket are then bent forward and down .toover-lap the previously bent ends. The ends of the edge strips 4| arethen bent inward toward each other and down to over-lap the previouslybent slats. The end wall of the basket is thus formed bybending andover-lapping of the parts of the mat but is not secured in formedposition at this stage but is merely held in the conformed position bythe hands of the operator.

The upper holding member 35 is next swung toward the operator to clampthe end wall of the basket in conformed position against the top end ofthe form block.

By pressing the end of the holding member down and swinging theform-block and conforming member, with conformed basket therebetween,forward toward the stapler the machine is moved to the positionillustrated in Figure 3, the frame which carries the form-block andconforming member tilting on the pivot bearing H toward the stapler. Theclinch-block or anvil l4 enters the upper recess 28 in the form-block,which recess is proportioned to accommodate the clinch-block. Thechamfering of the outer end l5 of the clinch-block helps assure the freeentry of the clinch-block in the recess to substantially fill the same.As the form-block swings in an arc and the clinch-block is in fixedhorizontal position the chamfering or rounding of the corners and edgesof the clinch-block facilitates the movement of the form-block to andfrom the clinch-block.

The stapler is then operated to drive staples through the overlappedslats and strips at the end of the conformed basket. The staples do notmeet or contact the form-block by reason of the cut-out portions 30 and3| in the plate 29 and the open space in the holding member 35 butrather are driven through the wood veneer of thebasket and directlyagainst the clinch-block l4 extending into the recess 28. The impact andforce of the driven staples is received by the relatively stableclinch-block rather than by the relatively unstable form-block. Thecontacted surface of the clinch-block is disposed to turn over andclinch the protruding ends of the staples driven against theclinch-block and thus tightly secure the turned over ends of the staplesagainst the wood veneer.

By operating the stapler as the form-block and clinch-block are nestedtogether as shown in Figure 3 the upper end wall of the basket held inposition by the upper holding member 35 will be firmly secured inconformed shape, the parts being held together by the staples. Afterstapling one end wall of the basket as described, the formblock, basketand forming block are retracted from the position of Figure 3 to that ofFigure 2 by tilting the frame back away from the stapler.

the staples against the form block rather than as herein described it isfound that the form-block being rotatable is not always brought underthe stapler in exact horizontal position but is often slanting one wayor the other. Unless the staples are driven against a surface that isalways in perfect fixed alignment the staples are not properly clinched.Attempts to lock the rotatable formblock in proper rotated position havenot satisfactorily met this requirement because of play in the lockingmechanism and also because the rapid action of the operator does notlend itself to accuracy in always having the form-block locked inproper-rotated position before pushing under the stapler. Moreover, themechanism for carrying the form-block to and from the stapler and forrotating the form-block is inherent relatively unstable. As a stable orrigid clinch-block is necessary for efficient clinching of the staplesmy apparatus meets that requirement. Therefore, by the fabrication ofbaskets with apparatus embodying my invention uniformly proper staplingis accomplished, there being an assurance that the staples are fully andproperly clinched. There is an increase in number of baskets which maybe turned out as well as in the quality of the work done.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has beenmade only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details ofconstruction and the combination and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A machine for forming baskets from flat mats of basket materialcomprising, in combination, a form-block upon which the mat isconformed, said form-block having opposite end portions over which theends of the said mat are over-lapped to form opposite end walls of saidbasket, 2. conforming member for holding the said mat against saidform-block, said conforming member having swingable wing memberspivotally mounted thereon for holding the mat in conformed positionagainst the sides of the form block, a stapler mounted in juxtapositionto said form block, a clinch-block mounted below, and spaced from, saidstapler, a support frame having a first arm for supporting saidform-block and a second arm for supporting said conforming member, theform-block being rotatably mounted on said first arm to reverse thepositions of said end portions of the form block, said second arm beingmovable relative to said first arm to move the conforming member towardand away from the form-block, the said support frame being movablerelative to said-stapler and clinch-block to move the form-block andconforming member toward and away from the stapler and clinch-block,said form-block having a recess formed in each said opposite end portionthereof to accommodate said clinch-block upon moving the form-blocktoward the stapler and clinch-block to position said overlapped end ofthe mat between said stapler and said clinch-block, said stapler drivingstaples through said over-lapped end and against said clinch-block.

2. The combination of a stapler, a clinchblock mounted below, and spacedfrom, the stapler, a form-block about which a mat is conformed to theshape of a basket, said form-block having a recess formed therein at thelocality "Inmachines in which itis attempted to clinch where theconformed mat is stapled and'extend ing parallel to a side of the basketto be stapled, and supporting means for supporting said formblock, saidsupporting means being movable in a direction substantially parallel tosaid side of the basket to be stapled to move the form-block andconformed mat thereon relative to the stapler and clinch-block frombasket forming position to stapling position, the clinch-block extendingsubstantially parallel to said side of the basket to be stapled and intothe recess in said formblock when in stapling position to clinch thestaples driven through the basket mat on the form-block by said stapler.

3. The combination of a stapler, a stationary clinch-block mounted injuxtaposition to the stapler, and a form-block upon which a mat isconformed to the shape of a basket, said form block being movable towardand away from said stapler in a direction parallel to the sides of saidbasket, said form block being cut away to accommodate the saidclinch-block upon moving the conformed mat on the form-block forwardtoward the stapler to stapling position adjacent the stapler, theclinch-block clinching the staples driven through the conformed mat onsaid form block. a

4. The combination of a stapler, a relatively stable fixed clinch-blockmounted under, and spaced from, the stapler, and a relatively unstablemovable form-block adapted to carry a basket formed thereon to staplingposition under the stapler, the said form-block being formed to permitsaid clinch-block to extend intermediate the basket and form block forthe clinching of staples driven through the basket and against theclinch-block.

5. The combination of a stapler, a clinch-block carried by, and spacedfrom, said stapler, a formblock adapted to carry a basket conformedthereon, said form-block having a recess disposed intermediate the saidbasket and said form-block, said recess being adapted to receive saidclinch-block upon movement of the formblock into stapling positionadjacent said stapler, and carrying means for carrying said form-blockinto and, and out of, stapling position adjacent said stapler, thestapler stapling the basket on said form-block against the clinch-blockin said recess.

6. The combination of a stapler, a fixed clinch-block and a movableform-block, said form-block being formed to accommodate saidclinch-block extending intermediate the formblock and a basket conformedthereon upon,

movement of the form-block into stapling position adjacent the stapler,the stapler driving staples through the basket on the form-block againstsaid clinch-block.

T. A form-block for the making of stapled baskets, said form-blockhaving an outer surface in the contour of a basket for the forming ofthe basket thereon, the form-block being cut-away from said contour inthe vicinity of the basket at point of stapling to provide an open spaceintermediate the said basket and form-block, said open spaceaccommodating a clinch-block extendable therein for the clinching ofstaples driven through the basket.

8. A form-block for the making of baskets stapled at opposite ends, theform-block having a back conforming to the bottom of the basket,longitudinal sides conforming to the side walls of the basket and endportions conforming to the endwalls of the basket, said form-block beingcut away at each of said end portions to form a recess below the planeof each said end portion, a plate secured to the form-block, at each ofsaid end portions and extended across said recess therein, said platebeing cut away at the location of the stapling of the basket, therecesses in the form-block accommodating a clinch-block extendabletherein upon movement of the form-block into stapling position andwithdrawable therefrom upon movement of the form-block from staplingposition, the cut-away portions of the said plates providing forstapling against the clinch-block the end walls of the basket conformedto shape by the end portions of the form-block and plates thereon.

9. The combination of a form-block having a back, sides and ends in theshape of a basket conformed thereon, a conforming member movablerelative to the form block for holding the conformed basket to the backand sides of the form-block, and holding members carried by theform-block at the ends thereof for holding the conformed basket to theends of the form-block, said form-block having open spaces formed in theends thereof for receiving a clinch-block mounted adjacent a staplerupon moving the form-block to stapling position at a stapler, said openspaces permitting the stapling of the basket formed on the form-blockand clinched independently of the form-block.

10. The method of constructing a basket comprising: the steps of makinga basket mat in the fiat, the steps of bending the mat around aformblock into the shape of a basket at a distance from a stapler,clamping the conformed mat to the form-block in said shape, moving theconformed mat on said form-block to said stapler in a direction parallelto a side of the basket to be stapled, driving staples through theconformed mat to secure it in the shape of the basket, and clinchingsaid staples to the basket independently of said formblock.

RALPH LEWIS SCANLAN.

